Lithium
by QuestionableOctopi
Summary: Tattoo artist Edward meets student Bella and an automatic connection is made. Bella has some thick walls to break through due to an ugly past. All Edward wants is her. All-human, kind of OOC. Canon couples.
1. The Artist

Lithium, don't wanna lock me up inside  
Lithium, don't wanna forget how it feels without  
Lithium, I wanna stay in love with my sorrow  
Oh, but God I wanna let it go

Come to bed, don't make me sleep alone  
Couldn't hide the emptiness, you let it show  
Never wanted it to be so cold  
Just didn't drink enough to say you love me

I can't hold on to me  
Wonder what's wrong with me?

Lithium, don't wanna lock me up inside  
Lithium, don't wanna forget how it feels without  
Lithium, I wanna stay in love with my sorrow

Don't wanna let it lay me down this time  
Drown my will to fly  
Here in the darkness I know myself  
Can't break free until I let it go, let me go

Darling, I forgive you after all  
Anything is better than to be alone  
And in the end I guess I had to fall  
Always find my place among the ashes

_Lithium_ Evanescence

I had a bit less than a month before classes at my university, Fresno State, started up for the new year. It was my first year there and I was going to get a master's in English. My best friends, Alice and Rosalie, shared a small apartment with me in North Clovis, not far from the university. I had moved here from Forks, Washington, and they from Phoenix, Arizona. They were my best friends when I lived in Phoenix. When my father got a job in Forks, I had to relocate. We visited each other every single chance we got and remained best friends. There was never a rift in our relationship.

When you looked at my friends and me, you saw totally and completely different people. Rosalie was a blonde, voluptuous woman with a super hot body. Every day she dressed like a damn supermodel. Guys wanted her and girls wanted to be her. Alice was teeny tiny and had inky black, short, spiky hair. She was very hyper, but was the most normal looking between the three of us – she was always wearing fashionable clothing, yet it wasn't ostentatious. I, however, seemed like the type of person Rosalie and Alice wouldn't be caught dead with. I had tattoos – 9, actually – multiple piercings, and wore mainly black clothes.

While the girls were giving each other makeovers, I was in my room drawing or reading.

"Bella!" Alice's high-pitched voice rang, "Get up! We have an appointment at the tattoo parlor in 30 minutes. Give me your design so I can make a copy!"

I swear she treated me like a small child. Still, I complied with her requests. I climbed out of my comfy bed, only dressed in a tank top and boy shorts. I walked over to my desk and hastily grabbed my sketch. When I opened the door to give the sketch to Alice, she was tapping her foot impatiently and glaring.

"What did I do wrong this time, Alice?" I groaned.

"You need to look hot today, Bella. That means no combat boots." With that she walked off into the kitchen. I sighed after my midget friend and retreated into my room.

After my hair was straightened, I went to my makeup. I applied a generous amount of eyeliner, and then put a dab of mascara on my eyelashes. The look was completed with a little foundation. I then walked to my closet and pulled out my regular black low-rise skinny jeans. I dug through the drawers on my dresser until I found a decent top. It was red and tight at the bottom, the rest loose. After I was dressed, I looked under my bed for my red Converse. When I glanced in the mirror, I thought I looked decent. The shirt showed off a few tattoos. Satisfied, I went to the living room so Alice and I could take our leave.

She was sitting on the couch, looking at the drawing I had created. It was a cross with ivy running up it. It was symbolic to me. My father had recently passed away and I wanted something to remember him by at all times. He was always very religious. This tatt was going on my wrist.

"Bella, I think this is wonderful," she whispered.

"Thank you," I replied softly, "Ready to go?"

"Yeah. You drive. I just want to stare at this a bit more."

The drive to the shop, Ink and Diamonds, was quiet. Alice was still looking at my drawing. I know she missed Charlie a lot. He was like a father to her, as she never had one. I saw a tear slide down her cheek. Just one.

When we got to Ink and Diamonds, I pulled the keys out of the ignition and stepped out of the car. I had a Dodge Charger I got for my 18th birthday.

The shop had a nice, comfortable feel to it. It was hard to find places like that - where you just walked in and felt at home.

There was a tall man with reddish-brown hair at the counter working on a sketch. He looked up and smiled when we came in the door.

He had soft green eyes, pale skin, perfect pink lips stretched into a crooked grin, and a strong jaw line. On both his arms were sleeves with intricate tattoos. His bottom lip was adorned with spider bites. I saw gauges in his ear lobes and an industrial piercing. He looked like a typical tattoo artist… just about 20 times hotter.

"Hi there. I'm Edward. You must be my 1:00?" His voice was smooth, yet deep and masculine.

"Yeah. Hey, I'm Bella, and this is my friend Alice."

"Hello, Bella… Alice. So you have your sketch with you, right?"

"Yes. I have my sketch right here." I handed him the paper with the cross on it. On his wrist was what looked like a family crest.

"Cool. Let me lead you to your room and I'll go ahead and put this on the stencil. Sound good?" I nodded, and he smiled. He turned to Alice. "Are you going in with her?"

Alice shook her head.

"I hate the noise of the tattoo machine. I won't really miss not seeing this one though; I've been there for all the other 9." Edward raised his eyebrows at me. I just smiled and shrugged.

He told Alice she could wait in the front room until I was done and offered her a beverage. After giving her the complimentary coffee, Edward led me down a short hallway and showed me into a room.

"Ok. Let me get this ready for you. I'll be right back." With that he turned around and briskly left the room.

This hour alone with Edward was going to be very interesting.

EPOV:

_Fuck_, was all I could think. _Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck._

I was dangerously attracted to my client.

I was attracted to her when she first called the shop, looking to get a tatt. When she walked through the door, I swear I was about to fall over and die.

Her tight jeans showed off her soft curves. Her shirt allowed me to see a snake on her forearm just before it disappeared under her sleeve. The shirt also showed a sliver of her skin on her stomach, where I _also_saw some ink. Did they seriously send her here just to kill me? Because if so, they have succeeded.

I finally took a good look at her face.

Her eyes had a certain warmth to them. They were a gorgeous brown, surrounded by black eyeliner. Most girls can't pull off the whole eyeliner-around-the-whole-eye-I'm-a-raccoon thing, but damn. All it did for her was accentuate. A tiny stud was on her upper lip. Her hair was brown and straight, going halfway down her back. She was thin, but not overly so.

Her skin was a creamy pale.

When I took a look at her sketch I was stunned – she had remarkable talent.

When I asked her friend if she was going into the private room, she declined... She had already gone to the Bella's previous tattoo sessions... _9_ of them. When I heard the news I turned to Bella with my eyebrows raised. She merely shrugged and smirked at me.

I hurried to get her to a private room so I could permanently mark her. I left swiftly so I could get more time with Bella.

She wasn't a typical girl… there was much more behind the woman who falls upon your eyes.

**A/N:**

Hey you guys. So this is basically a new When All Else Fails, Get Ink. I noticed in the other one they moved kinda fast and I felt like I didn't write Edward in the way I wanted to...

So here you go. I have about 30 chapters written out, so if I take more than a week to update, PM the hell out of me.

Thank you so much for reading this.


	2. The Mad Duck

EPOV:

"Okay," I said, walking back into the room with Bella's stencil in my hand. "So where is this going to go then?"

She looked up at me and smiled. She held her arm up so that I could see her wrist.

"Right here." She pointed and smiled a sad smile. _I wonder what significance that tattoo has_…

So I said it.

"What does this tattoo mean? Anything?"

I saw her face fall a bit.

"You don't have to tell me anything. It's quite alright, I mean -"

"No," she interrupted, "it's fine. It's… to remember my father. He died recently…"

"Oh. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have –"

"It's okay," she said. "People pass away all the time." She gave me a weak smile. I knew it was fake, but I didn't want to push it so I just gave her the same smile. While I got everything prepared, I saw her eyes wandering around my room. I had posters of bands and famous tattoo artists. The one from Kat Von D was even signed. She seemed to be uncomfortable. I knew it wasn't about the fact that she was getting a tatt, as she already has a few, so it must be because I brought up her father. I quickly finished up getting her stuff ready and led her to the chair.

"Okay… Let's get this started then!"

Her creamy skin was on display for the stencil, so I went ahead and applied it. It looked great. I asked if she liked where it was place and she did. I got the tattoo machine set up and asked her if she was ready to start. She nodded excitedly.

I began flicking my lip piercing before I touched her skin with the needle. It was a bad nervous habit I got into when I wanted to concentrate. You could hear my tongue ring's metal hitting against the backs of my lip rings. I was in absolute concentration when I did her ink because it had meaning. I didn't want to screw it up. When I finally touched the needle to her, she let out a breathless sigh. It was the sexiest thing I ever heard. I am used to tattooing girls and all they do is squeal and complain. She seemed relieved upon first touch, whereas the annoying ones jump or scream. Bitches.

I made sure to go very slowly, hoping to produce the smoothest lines. I put extra care into shading so that it went with the shape of Bella's wrist. After about an hour and a half, I shut off my machine.

"Thank you," she said sincerely, "so much." She smiled softly.

I rattled off the aftercare of the tattoo, due to a store policy. I knew that she was aware off all of it, so I made it quick and simple.

As I was about to lead her out to the lobby I heard her say my name.

"Hey, Edward," she said.

"Yes, Bella?"

"Can I give you a hug? This looks freaking awesome."

"Of course," I laughed. I moved to her and embraced her, keeping her fresh tattoo in mind. She smelled of freesia and honeysuckle.

The hug, of course, ended and we made our way to the lobby. Her friend's head snapped up when she heard us walking in. She popped up from the chair and practically ran over to Bella.

"Let me see, let me see, let me see, let me see!" She squealed. I chuckled at her excitement.

"If I show you will you shut the hell up," Bella said lightheartedly.

"Oh Bell… you know I never shut up," Alice quipped.

Bella lifted the gauze and showed the fresh tattoo to Alice. Alice's face softened a tad and smile widened.

"Bella, Charlie would have loved this. I bet he's so proud of you."

"I hope so."

After a couple of silent moments, Bella came back to reality and moved to the register. She paid me for the session, keeping silent the entire time. When I was done ringing her up, she went to move toward the door.

"Bella!" I blurted out. She turned swiftly. "I'll see you around."

She waved. And then she was gone.

BPOV:

The short ride home was in comfortable silence. Alice was driving and I was admiring Edward's work. Damn that man could tattoo.

When we got home Rosalie was drooling over the tattoo. She was so impressed by it.

I was the only one with the ability to cook, but my hand was hurting like crazy so we decided to go out to eat. We went to The Mad Duck, a bar and grill not far from our house.

Rosalie and Alice slid into the booth across from me. The waiter came by and took our orders. I, of course, ordered their fish and chips because it is freaking delicious. Seriously. Best fish and chips I ever ate. Rosalie ordered a burger and Alice got the chicken salad.

We spoke of trivial things until our food came out. Then Rosalie let out a low whistle.

"Damn. Bella take a look at that guy. He's your type isn't he?"

My eyes drifted to where she was looking and I turned around quickly.

"That's the guy who did my tattoo. Rose, look away." She smirked.

"Got a thing for him, Bellsy?"

"No."

"Alright then you won't mind this then. Hey you!"

"_Rose_!" I whisper-yelled. "What the fuck?" My words were ignored as she waved Edward over.

"Yes? Oh. Hey Bella. Fancy seeing you here." He winked.

"Hi," I said dumbly. Rose's eye twitched. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh I was just gonna grab a beer. You?"

"Food."

"Ahh…"

As if on cue the waiter brought our food. Edward slid into the seat next to me and ordered a Newcastle.

We fell into easy conversation as a group. It turns out Edward is going to Fresno State as well. He also lived nearby our apartment – about half a mile away.

When Rosalie and Alice finished their food, Rosalie went on about going to Target, so she dragged Alice out, winking at me on the way. So I was left alone with Edward again.

He was hilarious, smart, witty, perfect… and I wanted him. I, however, wasn't sure if he wanted me…

EPOV:

I want her.

**A/N:**

I posted two chapters in one day because I decided that you need to read them. :)

Oh yeah and The Mad Duck is a real restaurant... best fish and chips EVER!


	3. The Fight

EPOV:

Bella and I began talking about our plans for the night. She mentioned that she and the girls were going to see the fight. An idea popped into my head.

"Do you want to go to my house with your friends? A couple of my friends and I were going to watch the fight… you can join us?" I know I was going out on a limb here.

Bella pondered the idea.

"That sounds fun. I'm sure the girls don't have anything planned."

"Great let me just text Jasper and Emmett."

I pulled out my phone and typed out a text to Jasper.

_Got a couple more friends, who are girls by the way, coming for the fight. Go on a beer run. _**Send**.**  
**

Jasper and Emmett were living indefinitely with me. Jasper had been living with his girlfriend Maria until he caught her with another guy. He was in the military and surprised her by coming to the house when she thought he was in Afghanistan. The bitch she was turned it around and blamed him for always being gone. His enlistment has since ended and he was having trouble getting into the workforce. Emmett, my cousin, just finished getting his master's in kinesiology and wasn't getting enough money as a beginning PE teacher to afford his own place. All I asked from them was to buy their own food and to pay $200 a month. It was a pretty sweet deal for them.

Rosalie and Alice came in toting a plastic bag.

"Guys, Edward invited us to his house for the fight. A couple of his friends will be there as well. Would you guys like to go? Because I do."

"My friends are single," I chimed.

"Well count us in," Rosalie said excitedly. "We got Chex Mix because we going to watch the fight at our house anyway."

I gave them my address and we left soon after.

My house was rather large – _an inheritance from my dead parents can really go far,_ I thought to myself wryly. The living room had two couches and a large plushy chair – it could fit two people. As I led the girls in I could see that Emmett and Jasper had already set out chips, strawberries and cream, sodas, beer, and sandwich squares. I had to applaud them – but it's definitely because they knew there were girls coming.

"Guys I'm back!" I yelled upstairs.

BPOV:

A man came down the stairs. He was wearing a button up with expensive jeans and leather boots. He kind of sauntered down the stairs. As he reached the bottom he looked in each of our faces, winking at Rosalie. It was weird though, because he was doing it all in slow motion. We all looked at each other in confusion. Edward was sitting at a barstool with his head in his hands.

"I'm Cullen. Emmett Cullen." He tried to make it voice sultry but it just sounded like he was doped up on morphine. We all tittered and he glared. "Fuck it," he muttered. He kicked off his boots and undid his button up, revealing a _Got Wood?_ T-shirt underneath. "Sup ladies? I'm Emmett, lady seducer extraordinaire."

I had a feeling this was the real Emmett. We all introduced ourselves, Rosalie rather coldly. When he went to shake her hand she slid her hand into her pocket and glared at him. "Oookay," he said awkwardly.

Someone talking on the phone came down next, rushing past us and giving us a slight wave.

"Maria… no… NO! No that's it. I'm taking it because it's rightfully mine… And you get the flat screen?... Oh YES that is right!... Everything is Jasper's fault!" The front door slammed behind him. I heard a car start and tires squeal.

"And that was Jasper you guys!" Emmett said, smiling.

"What was that about?" Alice inquired softly.

"Ex-girlfriend problems," Edward answered simply.

"Oh."

"Well the fight is about to start, but it will be recorded anyway… would you guys like to wait for Jasper? He probably won't be more than an hour."

"I think we'll wait for Jasper," Alice said, looking at us for approval. Rosalie and I agreed with her.

As we waited for Jasper, we watched an episode of The Big Bang Theory.

Edward, Alice and I occupied one couch. Rosalie was sitting on the other, but when Emmett moved to sit next to her, she shot up and moved to the chair, glowering at him the entire way.

We all decided that Rosalie was most like Penny and she shot daggers at us.

"Watch it guys. Or I won't share my Chex Mix," she joked.

"I love Chex Mix!" Emmett yelled.

"Uh…" Rosalie looked at him like he had grown a second head.

The rest of us looked at their exchange in amusement. At that second Jasper walked in, slamming the door behind him. He was carrying a box full of things. He rushed up the stairs, muttering something along the lines of _not my flat-screen_. He came back downstairs and plopped down on the couch next to Emmett. He took a deep breath.

"Hey you guys I'm Jasper." He moved to shake my hand, waved at Rosalie, and paused at Alice.

"Hey," she breathed.

"Hey yourself," he replied, equally breathless. Alice stood up and moved next to Jasper. Emmett's eyes bugged and he scrambled to the couch with Edward and I. He didn't want to be part of their creepy love fest. Rosalie and I were looking at each other with the same astounded look on our face. Alice never really seemed to be interested in anyone so quickly, so this was a first.

"So the fight then?" Jasper said, not looking away from Alice.

"Erm… yeah," Edward said, fumbling with the remote.

We all got comfortable and settled in for the fight. It turns out I was more tired than I had thought and I eventually woke up when I felt Edward move from under me.

"Sorry, Bella. I just need to use the restroom."

I let out a garbled reply and leaned against the couch. I blearily looked at the rest of the group. Rosalie was sitting primly on the chair, still watching the TV. Emmett was passed out, snoring like a chainsaw. Alice and Jasper were nowhere to be seen.

Rosalie noticed me and smiled.

"Morning sunshine. Alice is upstairs with Jasper… I think she is spending the night. Do you want to go?"

Emmett shot up. "No no no, you don't need to go! I'll make more sandwiches!" He ran off to the kitchen. Rosalie looked in his direction and shook her head.

"Yeah I think we should go. I have to work tomorrow," I said with a yawn.

Edward returned to the room.

"You heading out?" he asked. Rosalie nodded. "Ok then. Let me see you guys out." He moved to me and held out his hand. I grabbed it and he helped pull me from the couch. Rosalie and I grabbed our things and moved to the entrance.

Emmett came barreling in. "Rosalie, do you want to hang out? Sometime soon? We can go to a bar? A soup kitchen? I'm cool with the homeless."

"No," she said simply. She smiled and walked out the door. Emmett stared out at her with an open mouth. He sulked back up the stairs.

"Well that was weird," Edward muttered. "So we should hang out," he said.

"I'd like that," I said, smiling. I handed him my phone so he could input his number. I called it so he could have mine. "Bye, Edward."


	4. The Pseudo Date

EPOV:

I sat on my couch, twirling my phone. I was debating whether or not to call Bella and ask her out again. I really did like her. Our friends got along well - except for Rosalie and Emmett - and so did we…

Against my better judgement I found her name on my contacts and dialed. It rang three times until she answered.

"Hi, it's Bella," her voice trilled.

"Hey Bella, it's Edward." Play it cool, Ed.

"Hi there, what's up?" she asked.

"I was just calling because I got free tickets to a movie on Friday and I was wondering if you wanted to go on something like a pseudo-date... with me..." my voice trailed off at the end.

"A pseudo-date huh? Can you give me a sec? I have to check my calendar."

"Sure." _Please be free, please be free, please be free._

"I'm free." _Fuck yeah._

"Sweet! Can I pick you up at 7 o'clock Friday night?"

"Want to make it 5:30 and we can get dinner?"

"Oh that sounds even better. I get off work at 5 so it works perfectly."

"Ok well I have to go to work now," she said quietly. "I'll see you Friday."

"Friday it is. Bye, Bella."

"Bye, Edward. I'm excited for our pseudo-date," she said laughing.

_Click_. I leaned against the back of my couch and smiled to myself. It all went smoothly.

* * *

TWO DAYS LATER:

As I pulled up to Bella's apartment complex I took a deep breath. It was the closest we had come to a date - still a pseudo-date - and I didn't want to screw it up somehow. I opened the car door and made my way to her apartment. I rang the doorbell and took a step back. Alice answered the door.

"Hey, Edward. Bella will be done in a couple minutes, you can come in if you would like," she offered.

"Yes, thank you, Alice."

She led me up the stairs to their living room. I sat down on the couch closest to the door. Alice gave me an odd look.

"What?" I asked, worried. I stood up.

"No no no, Edward. Sit back down." I moved back to my seated position slowly. "It's just that none of us ever sit at that spot. Bella sits on the opposite and Rosalie and I sit on the other couch. It was just odd to me is all."

"Huh. How about that."

At that moment Bella walked into the room wearing black jeans and a band tee.

"Black Keys… nice." They were one of my favorites.

She smiled and looped her arm around mine.

"See you later, Alice," I said as Bella led me away.

Alice offered a wave.

"How are you today, Edward?" Bella asked as we descended the stairs.

"I'm doing well, and you?"

"Pretty good, pretty good."

"Sweet. So I got tickets to the new Batman… is that okay? I can exchange it."

"No no. I freaking love Batman." She paused and smirked. "I'm Batman!" she exclaimed in a voice eerily similar to Christian Bale's Batman. It was silent for a beat and the we burst out laughing.

"Okay, okay," I said, still chuckling. "Get in the car, Batman, we're on a schedule."

I opened the door for her and she stepped in. I made my way around the car in got in myself, starting the car. I had a hearse from the 1970's. I had it rebuilt from the inside out. The engine and parts were all brand new. It had deep purple leather seats. I had to admit that it was awesome. Music began trickling from the speakers. Bella chuckled. I looked at her questioningly.

"I was literally listening to this song when I left the house," she said, referring to _Radioactive_ by Kings of Leon. "It's one of my favorites," she admitted.

"My favorite from them is_ Pistol of Fire_. I like the older feel to it," I said. She nodded in agreement.

The rest of the ride to the Thai restaurant was spent debating whether the Kings of Leon's album _Because of the Times_ or their album _Come Around Sundown_ was better.

The restaurant was packed but, as we were a small party, we found a table quickly. The waitress, Venus, knew me well because I went there at least once a week. She advised us to order quickly so that our order could go in before a large party.

"Wow. It's great to be with someone who is buddy-buddy with the waitresses," Bella said, wiggling her eyebrows deviously at me. I laughed heartily.

"Oh no. She only likes me because I probably put her son through college, I'm here so much."

Venus came by and started yelling at us to order. I obeyed and ordered us Pad Thai. She huffed in relief and ran away, trying to beat the other order. I laughed at her antics.

As we waited we went back into our debate about music.

"No! Michael Jackson has nothing on David Bowie," Bella said passionately.

"Pfft. Michael Jackson was the best musician to walk on Earth," I scoffed. Venus came and brought our food, scuttling away.

"This isn't over," she said, pointing at me. I held my hands up in defeat.

We ate quickly and in silence. When Venus gave us our check, I left a $15 tip as usual. And as usual, she walked me to the door thanking me fervently. I always said it was because of her amazing skills and she left, feeling triumphant.

The theater wasn't too far away and we got there just in time for seating to begin. We managed to get seats in the back.

As we settled in, Bella lifted the seat divider and leaned against me. It wasn't quite a flirtatious gesture, more one of comfort. I smiled and returned the gesture.

She had quirky habits when she watched the film. Every time Bane would come on screen, she would tense then relax. When Batman was injured she was chewing her nails. Every time Batman came on screen, she would turn to me and do her Batman impersonation, which would have me go into hysterics. People would turn and glare and I'd glare right back at them, still laughing. All in all, she was really entertaining to watch a movie with.

Three hilarious hours later, the movie ended. We decided to stop by my house to make some food before we took her home. The car ride was filled with our review of the movie - generally positive.

As we walked in the front door, we heard odd noises. I pushed her behind me and held my finger to my lips, signaling for her to be silent. She nodded with wide eyes. I took slow steps to the kitchen, where the noises were coming from, ready to strike. When the kitchen came into view I skittered back, surprised.

There on my counter were Rosalie and Emmett, boning like no tomorrow. Bella guffawed, blowing our cover.

"Oh hey, you two," Emmett said, still going at it. "Have fun on your date?"

"Uhhh… we're going to go now," I stammered, ushering Bella back outside. We got into the car again and sped off. The laughter ensued shortly. I had to pull over, I was laughing so hard.

"My eyes! They burn!" The image of them humping like bunnies on my counter was burned into my retina.

"I concur," Bella choked out, still chortling away.

We eventually got back to her apartment and I walked her to the door. When she unlocked it and stepped in she turned around.

"Tonight was fun, Edward. Let's do it again," she offered.

"Yeah, I think so too. Soon. I'll call you," I said. She nodded and gave me a quick hug, pulling away to go upstairs.

"Bye, Bella," I said.

"Bye, Edward," she replied, and closed the door.

I made my way back to my car.

_Shit_, I remembered. _Rosalie and Emmett better not still be on my counter._

I drove away laughing to myself.

Best pseudo-date ever.


	5. The Barbie Girl

BPOV:

I had just woken up and was doing laundry when I got a call on my cell phone. It was in the living room so I had to run to answer it in time.

"Hello," I answered, out of breath.

"Bella? It's Edward," a confused voice said.

"Oh hey," I replied, still panting. "What's up?"

"Nothing much, I just got off work. What's up with you?"

"Had to run to answer the phone," I said, my breathing almost back to normal. _Damn_, I thought,_ I'm freaking out of shape. Definitely going to the gym with Rosalie tomorrow_.

"Oh okay. Well I was just wondering if you wanted to come over in a bit to watch a Marvel marathon with Emmett, Rosalie, and me. We got a bootleg _Avengers_," he said, sounding excited.

"Yeah, definitely!" I exclaimed. "I love Marvel movies," I gushed.

"Alright," he chuckled. "I can pick you up at 10," he offered. It was only an hour away.

"I can be ready by then," I said, already moving to the shower.

"Okie dokie then," he said. "I'll see you then."

"See ya," I said, hanging up quickly. My clothes were already shed and I hopped in the shower. I only took five minutes, rushing. I toweled off and made my way to the closet. Normal black jeans and a band shirt it was.

I slid into the tight jeans, bushing me teeth as I went. I slipped into the Mumford and Sons shirt right before I sat in front of my sock drawer. It seriously took a while to find matching socks, so I learned not to crouch. I only ended up sore. After an agonizing and frustrating five minutes I found matching socks. I held them above my head in triumph. If anyone saw me they would put me into a straight-jacket within seconds.

I hopped, trying to put them on my feet as I moved to the vanity. I succeeded and plopped myself down. I went through my usual makeup routine in record time. Just as I was slipping on my teal Doc Martens, my doorbell rang. I grabbed all my things and moved swiftly, opening the door to reveal Edward.

"You ready?" he asked, smiling pleasantly.

"Yep yep yep," I said, turning to lock the door behind me.

We went through the normal pleasantries as we made our way to his car… hearse… vehicle. Again, Kings of Leon's mellifluous music came through the speakers. This time it was _Be Somebody_, one of my top 10 songs ever. I noticed that Edward mindlessly mouthed the words as he drove. I found it endearing.

We pulled into his driveway and stepped out. We were cautious as we opened the door. Edward announced our presence by yelling, "We're home!" Rosalie waved at me from the fluffy chair and I relaxed. Emmett sat lonely on the couch, looking sullen. It seems as though they were back to hating each other. _I have to talk to her about that_, I thought. Edward led me by the shoulder to the unoccupied couch.

We started with _Iron Man_. I leaned into him during the movie. He was quite comfortable. He toyed with the ends of my hair.

Soon after _Iron Man_ ended we watched _The Incredible Hulk_. Emmett was already snoring by the halfway point and Rosalie looked bored. When it ended we looked over to the two. Rosalie was leaning on her hand, dozing off. Emmett was making a very good chainsaw impersonation.

Edward clapped loudly. Emmett jumped up, holding the TV remote like a sword. Rosalie opened her eyes and scoffed at Emmett. When he realized it was just Edward he sat back down.

"Bro. What have I said about doing that?" Emmett said frantically. Edward rolled his eyes.

"Not to do it," he said simply. "Well anyway, do you guys want to go get food? It's past lunch," he pointed out. We all looked at one another and nodded.

"Who's driving?" I asked.

Emmett stood up and went to his keys. He held them up and nodded to the door. We all stood, groaning as we went.

We decided to get Mexican food. The waitress flirted with Emmett when we first got seated and I saw Rosalie's eyes burn with anger. The next time the waitress came around, she came close to him, playing with his hair and telling him how sexy his muscles were. Emmett's chest puffed up. The waitress sulked away, disappointed. Rosalie looked triumphant. When our food came, we were mostly quiet, but Emmett was boasting about himself. Edward rolled his eyes constantly, laughing into his tacos.

When we finished, Edward footing the bill, we made our way back to the car, Rosalie begging to drive. Emmett relented, looking scared. Edward whispered to me that he never let _anyone_ drive his prized Jeep. Edward hadn't even driven it yet. I could see Emmett gripping the handle so tightly that his knuckles were white.

When we got home, Emmett left the car with shaky legs. Edward was laughing at his pain. His unsteady hands unlocked the door and Rosalie looked triumphant. We immediately started on _Iron Man 2_. Edward continued to play with the ends of my hair. This time Rosalie and Emmett were on the same couch but every time he tried to touch her, she slapped his hand away.

Soon after it ended we decided we should just watch _The Avengers_ and call it a night. The bootleg version had Chinese subtitles with English dubbed over Russian. It was a clusterfuck of terrible. We just ended it around the part that Thor shows up. We were laughing too hard at the hilarity of the terrible copy.

Emmett had the "genius" idea of playing a dancing game on the Kinect. We all denied to partake vehemently. He insisted and insisted. Rosalie relented first, and then I did. Edward declined and said he would rather sit and watch.

Rosalie and Emmett competed against each other to the tune of _Starships_ by Nicki Minaj. Edward and I sunk into the back of the couch, choking against our laugher to breathe. Emmett, the huge, muscular man he was, danced the girly dance moves precisely, beating Rosalie. He beat me while we were dancing to _Lights_ by Ellie Goulding. I think it was because I was bent over, trying not to fall over as tears streamed down my face. Edward had long since given up trying to hold in the laughter. Rosalie had a smirk, but you could tell she really wanted to laugh.

I decided Edward _needed_ to dance, so I grabbed him by his hand, pulling harder each time he resisted.

"_Please_, Edward. Please, please, please, please, please?" I begged.

He relented, standing up awkwardly. We let Emmett choose the song, and when Edward saw the selection he turned to Emmett, fuming.

"Are you_ fucking_ kidding me?" he asked as Rosalie and I chortled away when we heard the beginning of _Barbie Girl_.

Edward began to tap his foot and then went out in full force, flouncing around the living room, jumping and spinning. I had literally fallen on the floor and Rosalie was gasping for breath. Emmett had given up in order to watch Edward. Edward finished with five gold stars, breathing heavily by the end.

"Well that was impressive, Edward," a female voice said.

We turned to see a small woman with caramel hair and a smiling face. By her side was a tall man with fair blonde hair and icy blue eyes.

"Esme… Carlisle…" Edward gasped, his eyes wide.

"Mom and dad! What is up, parentals?" Emmett said with a wide grin.

"Edward… Emmett," the man said. "And who are these lovely women?" He inquired, turning to Rosalie and me.

**A/N:**

****Hey guys! Thank you for reading so far!

**DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW**. It seriously makes my day! 3

Thank you,

QuestionableOctopi


	6. The Dinner

**A/N: Review review review.**

EPOV:

Esme looked at me expectantly.

"This is my friend Bella," I said, lightly placing my hand on Bella's shoulder. "And this is Rosalie." I motioned to Rosalie where she stood, waving slightly.

"Good to meet you Bella and Rosalie. I am Emmett's mother and Edward's aunt. My name is Esme Cullen and this is my husband, Carlisle Cullen." Carlisle nodded at the girls.

"It's really nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Cullen," Bella said kindly.

"Oh sweetie," Esme laughed. "Don't call me Mrs. Cullen, I'm only 51!"

"Okay then. Esme and Carlisle," Bella said, smiling. I enjoyed the fact that she and my aunt were already on a first name basis… I probably enjoyed it more than I should.

"Well, Emmett and Edward, Esme and I came by for the dinner if you had forgotten. We told you that we would have this dinner a week ago," Carlisle chastised.

"Sorry Dad, we were otherwise preoccupied," Emmett said, bouncing his brows. Esme coughed a scuffed her foot on the ground. I bit my lip to keep from laughing. I looked over to Bella and she was in the same state as I was.

"Er… right then," Carlisle said awkwardly.

BPOV:  
Esme turned to Rosalie and I.

"Are you ladies staying for dinner?" she asked sweetly.

Rosalie looked at me for a confirmation. I shrugged.

"We wouldn't want to impose. You're family and –" she was cut off.

"Oh dear, it's not imposing. I'm used to feeding Emmett and Edward's friends. However, they usually are larger… and manlier," she mused. "But you are welcome to have dinner. Right Edward and Emmett?" she asked, turning to them with a raised eyebrow. They nodded fervently.

"Great. It is settled then," Carlisle exclaimed, clapping his hands together. Esme moved to the kitchen. I followed.

"Do you need any help, Esme?" I asked. She turned to me with a bright smile.

"That would be wonderful," she said. "I'm making pasta with a fresh pesto and salad."

"I've never made fresh pesto," I admitted.

"Well this is a good time to learn, isn't it?" she said.

She put the pasta to boil and proceeded to show me how to make the pesto. She chopped the basil leaves very finely with a sharp blade and then garlic next. She found the pine nuts and showed me which to use and which to save for later. The grating of the parmesan was simple; I had done it many times before. We mixed them together and she explained to me how they all work together. I had never seen such in depth knowledge of Italian food.

We used some of the pesto for the salad, making a dressing of lemon, olive oil, and pesto.

Rosalie sat at the barstool the entire time, probably taking notes. She was a terrible cook. The last time she tried to make pasta, she forgot about it and all of the water evaporated.

Soon the food was ready. Esme called the boys to the table. Carlisle and Esme sat at the head, Edward and I were on one side, Emmett and Rosalie on the other. Soon after we began to eat, the questions arose.

"So, Bella, what do you do?" Esme asked me.

"I'm starting at Fresno State in a bit, and I'm a retail slave," I said with a slight grimace.

"And you, Rosalie?" she asked.

"I'm also starting at Fresno State, and I'm a slave to the makeup industry," she said with a sigh.

"You two sound like you don't like your jobs very much," Esme pointed out.

"I don't like being so controlled. It really is annoying sometimes. My supervisor is so terrible," I complained.

"Where do you work?" Carlisle asked curiously.

"Hot Topic," I answered sullenly. "The only people we have are preteens who want to buy bracelets and scene kids. It's the only place that would hire me because of my tattoos."

"The makeup counter where I work pretty much has the same clientele," Rosalie interjected.

"Oh that's terrible," Esme said, pouting slightly. Then she perked up. "Have you guys ever been by E.C.?" she asked out of nowhere.

"Is it the super expensive boutique over by the Van Ness extension?" I confirmed. Esme nodded. "I have driven by but it's far too expensive for me to shop there," I admitted. Rosalie nodded, agreeing with me.

"Well I own it and I'm looking for new workers," she said slowly, gauging our reactions. "How about you two stop by and see if it's a match?" she offered.

"Oh my god, are you serious?" Rosalie asked, incredulous. All I did was sit there, trying to understand what just happened.

"Of course I'm serious. You two seem perfect for the positions," Esme said grinning. The men just kept eating as if it as a normal occurrence. "You can stop by tomorrow if you'd like."

"Oh my gosh, Esme! Thank you so much," I gushed.

"Oh really, it's no problem. I just need some help. You basically run it yourself; it's as if a boss doesn't exist there."

Rosalie and I continuously thanked her throughout dinner. She just waved us off and smiled.

Soon after, we finished eating. Esme got a call from one of her clients – she was also an interior designer – with a design "emergency". Esme rolled her eyes and said she had better go – the client wouldn't leave her alone until she got there.

I offered to clean up so that she could go. She thanked me fervently, hugging me.

"Edward, your friends are lovely!" she called as she left the house.

Edward walked into the kitchen shaking his head and smiling.

"Yeah so that's my aunt," he said.

"I love her," I replied. He looked at men with an eyebrow raised.

"Really? She isn't overbearing?"

"No. She's great." He nodded.

"It's getting kind of late do you want me to take you home?" he offered. I looked at the clock at the wall and bit my lip, deciding. "Emmett and Rosalie are probably going to be taking over soon," he said in a tight voice.

"Yeah we should probably go," I said, laughing. I picked up my purse and put on my shoes and we were off.

Edward walked with me to the door. I turned to him.

"Do you want to hang out for a bit?" I offered.

"Sure," he replied, smiling.

We made our way up the stairs. At the top, Edward skittered back. I shut my eyes I put my face in my hands.

"Umm hey guys," Alice said awkwardly as she and Jasper defiled my kitchen table.

"Why does this always happen to us?!" Edward moaned.

**A/N:**

**Don't forget to review!**


	7. UPDATE

Hello everyone!

It's been so long since I updated and I'm so sorry. I've been really busy but now I finally have time to write again.

Since you all have been so patient, I am rewarding you with a chapter I'm sure you will definitely like. :)

It will be out today or tomorrow.


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